Following the announcement of Bobby Bowden's departure, recruiting has picked up in a big way for FSU... in the 2011 class. On the heels of the commitment by OL Trey Pettis, James Coley has struck gold in Treasure Coast H.S. with the commitments of two highly-regarded defensive backs, Lamarcus Brutus and Keelin Smith. Both are also teammates of 2010 standout LB Jeff Luc.
Lamarcus Brutus is listed by Rivals.com as 6'1", 185 lbs with a posted 4.6 40 yard dash as sophomore but is still growing into his body and developing his running skill. He is listed as a safety prospect and holds offers from the likes of Ohio State, LSU, Mississippi, UCLA, and North Carolina. Keelin Smith is listed by Rivals.com as 6'3", 185 lbs, and as a corner prospect. He holds offers from the same schools as Brutus. For those of you keeping score at home, that is an impressive offer list at this stage for two junior prospects!
Both players are highly-regarded, also fielding interest from Nick Saban, Pete Carroll, and Urban Meyer. Brutus will likely be a 4 star prospect while Smith should be as well, but has a very high ceiling with his potential, frame, and skill set. Both look to be standout players. Keep in mind that there is over a year left for evaluations of these two prospects, so any early predictions (including my own) should be taken with a grain of salt in fairness to these kids.
These two commitments are a testament to the work ethic of James Coley. With the uncertainty and rumors about Bowden behind FSU, the staff can continue to pound pavement with a vengeance. It certainly looks as though Fisher and Co. have the attention of many prospects and things are really starting to heat up with the 2011 class.